


A Bleeding Lehua

by OhanaHoku



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bromance, Bromance Not Romance - Freeform, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Gen Fic, Hurt Danny, Hurt Steve McGarrett, Hurt/Comfort, No Slash, Worried Steve McGarrett, gunshot wound, injured Danny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-18 05:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14846582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhanaHoku/pseuds/OhanaHoku
Summary: It’s like the world stops, everything is hushed, and you don’t even feel anything.That’s what getting shot felt like to Detective Danny Williams as he stared in wonder down at the blooming red flower on his shirt.





	1. The Red Blossom

**Author's Note:**

> I should have been sleeping last night, but when you get an idea you gotta write. TW: Blood and Canon-Typical Violence.

    It’s like the world stops, everything is hushed, and you don’t even feel anything.

 

    That’s what getting shot felt like to Detective Danny Williams as he stared in wonder down at the blooming red flower on his shirt.  _ Blood? _ He realized belatedly that’s exactly what it was.

 

    And that’s when the pain hit. Hot, searing pain that tore into Danny’s chest. The detective let out a pained grunt, the scream he felt was surely coming never came. His feet slid out from under him suddenly, as though the ground beneath his feet had turned to slippery ice.

 

_  Ice.  _ **_In Hawaii._ ** _ I must be losing it. _ Danny thought distantly.  _ Lava maybe, but no snow… So tired… _

 

    Danny’s eyes slid closed.

 

\-------------------------

 

    Steve couldn’t believe their luck. He was beginning to think that Danny might have been right about the Danger Magnet thing. All they’d done was stop at a gas station to answer the inevitable call of nature and get some snacks for the trip back to the Palace, having been returning from an isolated crime scene in the jungle, when a high-strung teenager burst into the store with a gun in his hand.

 

    Withdrawal symptoms were obvious as the young man’s hands shook and his eyes were slightly crazed with desperation.

 

    Steve and Danny had reacted instinctively, drawing their weapons, causing the teen to panic. He swung the gun wildly, the trigger going off and the bullet whistling through the air and embedding itself in Danny’s chest.  _ Center mass. _

 

    Steve took aim, but a split second after the junkie collapsed, whether due to panic or the lack of drugs his body had become dependent on.

 

    Danny was on the floor now, Steve casting him an anxious glance as he stepped forward to neutralize the threat. He took the gun out of the hand of the limp, but breathing body, zip tying the perp’s hands behind his back before rushing to Danny, just as his eyes closed.

 

    Panic seized Steve’s chest, lungs constricting painfully as he ripped Danny’s shirt open to get a better look at the wound.

 

    Blood was everywhere and upon closer inspection he could tell there was no exit wound. The bullet was still in him. Voice commanding, but holding a slight tremble that only Danny would recognize, Steve ordered the nearest person to call for an ambulance and police as he pressed his hands on Danny’s wound to stop the bleeding.  _ Don’t do this. Don’t die on me, Danno! _

 

\-------------------------

 

    The dark caress of nothingness was tempting him and Danny found himself drifting towards the black abyss. It promised no more pain, just a sweet relief of nothing…

 

    But a sharper pain, excruciating and overwhelming, made Danny pause just long enough to register a sound somewhere faraway.  _ Steve? _

 

__ It was there, faint and muffled, but there it was. Steve’s voice. He couldn’t tell what he was saying, but it sparked a bit of anger in Danny as he struggled to open his eyes, ready to tell the Super SEAL off for disturbing him when he was trying to sleep. He didn’t even have the common decency to leave someone alone when they were asleep. _ Neanderthal, animal… _

 

    When Danny finally managed to open his eyes all previous notions about ranting Steve into next Tuesday left him as he remembered very clearly that he’d been shot. And he was in pain, a lot of pain, and Steve was making it worse as Danny watched him try to stop the bleeding. Was he talking? He was talking wasn’t he?

 

    “..no, y’ter… be o… Gra… lie… ear me?” The Jersey cop only heard bits and pieces, but one word stood out above the rest.

 

    “Gr’ce?” Danny mumbled, wracking his brain when it felt like he was forgetting something important. A moment later he remembered. “Cha’lie?”

 

    He winced as Steve pushed harder. “St’ve… T-T’ll ‘em… Da-Dann...o…. Lovessshem…”

 

    That was all he was able to get out as his lungs threw him into a coughing fit, pain erupting in his chest as he hacked up a mouthful of blood. Danny stared dumbly at the blood that was effectively covering him. The flower was back again.

 

_     Huh. Pretty red… Must be a lehua… _ Danny’s eyes slid shut once more.

 

\-------------------------

 

    Steve nearly laughed in relief as Danny groaned and opened his eyes, the usually vibrant blue hues now dulled in pain and confusion. But more importantly, exhaustion. Danny could slip back under any time.

 

    “Come on, buddy. Talk to me.” Steve said, his open eyes wide and openly terrified. He couldn’t lose Danny like this. _ Please, dear God, don’t take him. Not again, please. Don’t take anyone else. _ He chanted in his head, heart racing with the prospect of losing another loved one. Especially Danny. After everything they’d been through together, risking their lives, their freedom, their  _ families.  _ That last one meant a lot coming from Danny and don’t think for a moment that Steve didn’t know that. With all they’d done and all the times they’d been there for each other when no one else was they were closer than close. Best friends and brothers alike, a deep connection of affection and love, an understanding that came from seeing each other at their lowest lows and their highest highs, a loyalty and trust that could never be broken.

 

    “Damn it, Danno, you’d better be okay. You’re not allowed to die on me, alright? Stay awake, Danny. Think of Grace and Charlie. They need their dad, you hear me?” Steve rambled, hands starting to shake.

 

    “Gr’ce?” Steve’s jaw tightened as Danny slurred his words and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment.  _ The paramedics should be here by now, damn it!  _ Danny finally figured it out. “Cha’ee?”

 

    Steve swallowed thickly around a lump in his throat, a suspicious pricking sensation in the corners of his eyes as he pressed his hands harder to Danny’s chest, willing them to stop shaking, willing Danny’s blood to stop pouring out of him like a steady red river.

 

    His breath hitched at Danny’s next words, stomach twisting so hard it felt like a punch in the gut. “St’ve… T-T’ll ‘em… Da-Dann...o…. Lovessshem…”

 

    “No!” Steve shouted, “No, Danny hang on. Hang on, you are not dying here!” Steve nearly screamed, eyes brimming with moisture as tears ran down his cheeks.  _ No. No please. Please don’t. Not him, please. Danny. _

 

__ He could only watched helplessly as Danny started to cough, blood spewing from his mouth.  _ This is bad. Oh my god, he’s dying. Danno… _

 

    The unflappable Navy SEAL was only able to watch in shock and terror, silent tears staining his cheeks, as he was firmly pulled away from Danny when the paramedics arrived and set to work with the dying detective.


	2. A Fallen Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny fights for his life while Steve struggles to remain calm while he reflects on how much Danny means to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A new update on one of my stories so soon after the last? Yes! Yes it is. Trigger Warning for Blood.

    “I’m going with you.” Steve said, managing to steady his voice enough to make it sound like a command.

 

    The two medics glanced at each other before responding. “Of course sir.” Steve nodded, pointing the first responders to the unconscious man with a brief explanation before he climbed into the ambulance, helping the medical officers to heft the stretcher into the ambulance.

 

    The commander took a seat in the corner of the ambulance so he wouldn’t be in the way of the men helping Danny, but close enough to reach Danny in a moment’s notice.

 

    Siren blaring, the ambulance drove off, speeding into the street at a speed that would have had Danny yelling at Steve. But as it was the loud mouthed detective was all too quiet, the only sign of life being a thin furrow between his eyebrows and the light misting of his breath in the oxygen mask.

 

_     Come on, man. You have to make it through this. Don’t make me tell Gracie and Charlie that you died, please Danno. Don’t die. I can’t have you die.  _ Steve reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks, only to stop as he noticed Danny’s blood covered his hands. Still wet and dripping down his arm, tiny drops splashing on the ambulance floor.

 

    Steve had seen blood before. Too many times in his life he’d been nearly drenched in the blood of his comrades in the Navy, in the blood of his enemies, and at times even in his own blood. But this was different. This was Danny’s blood. It belonged to the one person that Steve had grown to rely on more than he’d even realized. It belonged to the man who had punched him the first day they met, but willingly followed Steve into battle when he needed him.

 

    The man who had been there for him when Steve was at his lowest point, who helped Steve rebuild himself and his life, the man who first gave Steve a family by welcoming him with open arms into his tiny ohana that consisted of him and his daughter.

 

    This was the man who rallied a team to save him when he was in North Korea, who willingly left home on the long shot that Steve would still be alive when he got there. The man who held him through his breakdown when he came back from recovering Freddie’s body. The man who traveled around the globe for him and bullied the government into rescuing him when he was going to be executed in Afghanistan and sat by his bed for hours waiting for him to wake up. Who stood up to the CIA and refused to leave his side. Who made sure he got home safe and was with him every step of the way. Who helped him in his recovery and made sure Steven had someone to lean on when he couldn’t make it on his own.

 

    The man who stood by Steve through the entire ordeal with Wo Fat. Who was willing to give up his life and get sent to a Colombian prison to rot or be beaten to death to make sure that Steve wouldn’t be taken too. The man who invaded his house every day with a six-pack and a listening ear to help Steve cope after Catherine left him.

 

    This was the man who refused to land a failing plane in the water because it would have cost Steve’s life. Who landed on the beach at great risk to himself to ensure Steve had the slimmest chance at survival. Who went after the drug dealers without letting anyone tend to his own injuries first and then gave up half his liver to save Steve’s life.

 

    This was the man who had walked through hell and back for him more times than Steve could count and never once asked for anything in return.

 

    Steve’s breath hitched, face paling as tears poured down his face in relentless streams. He didn’t know when he’d started crying again, couldn’t think or see past the blood painting his skin. The blood of his best and most trusted friend.

 

    A lurch managed to break his gaze as the ambulance stopped and the medics were wheeling Danny into Emergency, Steve following with strong strides, eyes locked on Danny’s form, before a nurse held him back. “You can’t go in there!”   
  
    “He’s my partner, I need to-” Steve tried to insist before stilling as a loud, long beep traveled through the thin door. 

 

    A flatline.

 

     _No._ “No! Danny!” Steve burst into the room just in time to watch the medical team defibrillate Danny, his body convulsing before going all too still again.

 

    That long beep persisted, loud and abrasive over the voices of the medical team as they stabbed a needle in to Danny’s chest and depressed the plunger to deliver the drugs.

 

_   Come on, Danny. You can make it. Don’t give up. Please, Danno… _

 

    The paddles charged again, someone yelling clear somewhere in the tin of the emergency room. Steve saw his friend jolt, a brief glimpse of rolled back eyes, and then finally, a small bouncing green dot on the heart monitor.

 

    Steve nearly fainted with relief, barely noticing the nurse pulling him out of the room until he registered her voice asking if he was okay. He nodded to assure her and took a steadying breath when she suggested he wash up, reminding him that he was still covered in Danny’s blood.

 

    “Yeah, I’ll, uh. I’ll do that.” He stumbled to the bathroom and washed his hands, watching the red colored water disappear down the drain. He scrubbed his hands five times total, but the blood was still there, staining his skin and stuck around and under his fingernails.

 

    Forcing himself to ignore it, Steve took a moment to compose himself before making a phone call to Lou, telling him about what happened and asking him to pass the message along to Chin and Kono.

 

    Before long he was back in the waiting room, pacing back and forth as he waited for any kind of information on Danny’s condition.

 

    “Steve!” Kono rushed into the room, closely followed by Chin and Lou.

 

    “Do we have any news on Danny?” Chin asked quickly, mouth turned down in a slight frown.

 

    Steve shook his head, watching the fear in his friend’s faces deepen. “Not yet. Danny’s in surgery, but… It was a bad wound and Danny-” He closed his eyes, trying to force away the images of Danny being shocked back to life. “He flatlined once and they got him back, but I don’t know if he’ll- Nobody will tell me anything, I’m-”   
  
    “Hey, hey man. Danny’s strong, he’ll pull through this.” Lou told him firmly, gripping his shoulder to ground the distressed man.

 

    Kono nodded, though her smile was tight with worry. “He’s right, boss. Danny’s a true koa, he won’t give up.”

 

    Steve nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose as he fought back another wave of tears.

 

    “Excuse me, Commander McGarrett?” A doctor, still dressed in bloody scrubs addressed the group uncertainly.

 

    Steve’s head snapped up. “That’s me, how’s Danny? Is he okay?” He asked, voice intense like if he didn’t get an answer in two split seconds he was ready to strangle the guy with his stethoscope until he talked.

 

    The doctor hesitated for a moment before sensing the volatile vibe coming from Steve. “Detective Williams made it through the surgery, he’s in a serious, but stable condition.”

 

    Steve sagged back against Lou and Chin. “Thank god.” Daring smiles painted their faces before the bomb dropped.

 

    “I’m afraid that’s not all.” Steve’s sharp stare returned to the doctor as his stomach twisted painfully at his next words.“Commander, Detective Williams is in a coma.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Koa- Hawaiian for Warrior
> 
> So, I'm evil. Poor Danny and Steve. Also, just to clarify, this happens somewhere in the early timeline of season seven.

**Author's Note:**

> A lehua is this Hawaiian flower: http://lavalandhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Ohia-Lehua-Tree-255x300.jpg  
> They come in a few different colors, but red is the most common. The red of lehua was seen as a reflection of the bloodshed of war, and "lehua" was a term used in Hawaiian culture for the first warrior to fall in battle. The word “lehua” is still used to describe someone who is an expert in their field. It all fits so perfectly. Source for the information is this page: https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/rod/THE-DISEASE/MORE-ABOUT-OHIA
> 
> I'll try to update soon, but my other story is currently my priority.


End file.
